Murder Suspect Arrested in Dali

A 63-year-old man has been remanded for eight days after his arrest in Dali village on suspicion of premeditated murder following the death of a 27-year-old Polish man in a bar fight.

Police said the 63-year-old Antonis Loizos, who owns the bar in Dali, went to Pera Chorio police station and reported that he had an argument with the Pole which turned into a violent fight. Investigators went to the scene early this morning and they found the victim lying dead next to his car. Police said they identified the man as Duleba Damian Sebastian.

A state coroner said that the victim had been stabbed in the head and neck with a sharp object, and the 63-year-old was subsequently arrested. At today's court hearing, he claimed self-defense.

The story emerged that the two men had fought over the fact that Duleba had brought his husky dog into the bar. After the bar owner reacted angrily, Duleba took the dog back into his car and re-entered the pub, eventually leaving at around 3.30am. As the owner of the bar locked up at closing time, he confronted the Pole and the two men started shouting at each other. According to Loizos' testimony, Duleba then called his dog to help him in the fight.

Claiming he was frightened by the dog, Loizos picked up a small adze and stabbed Duleba in the neck. According to testimony by the police reported by sigmalive.com, the dog had remained by his master's side as he lay dead by his car.